Reels for supporting a wound flexible medium are used to store and facilitate the dispensing of mediums such as rope, wire, chain, and strings of parts. In general, a reel includes a core and two flanges. The flexible medium is wound around the core, and the two flanges prevent the wound flexible medium from migrating off the core in an axial direction. Reels having a medium wound thereon vary greatly in size and weight from lightweight reels that are easily manipulated by hand to heavyweight reels that are movable only with mechanical assistance.
Technicians frequently use a reel stand to rotatably support a reel during the distribution of the flexible medium wound about the reel. The reel stand supports the reel with which it, is associated and enables the reel to rotate as a technician or other user pays out the flexible medium from the reel.
A reel stand may include a braking mechanism for controlling the rotation of the reel relative to the reel stand. A continuing need to improve reel stands makes it desirable to develop a braking mechanism, which effectively controls the payout rate of the reel, but that does not significantly increase the cost or the complexity of the reel stand.